So glad everyone likes the way the story is running! More surprises and battles are still to come so hang tight! Feel free to Pm me if you have a burning question you want answered now rather than waiting till the next chapter comes out.
LilactheDryad... Technically yes. Eventually we will learn what happened to activate the black cat miraculous. Unfortunately its still off in the future somewhere...
kazza2182... Till this point I've been doing more World building, introducing all my important peeps, and so forth. It may not feel like it but to this point the story has been slow developmentally wise. Now we are diving into the plot center and more action will start to take place. Action is far more fun to write than the whole "he said she said" ect... Also Chloe did not arrange her own kidnapping. In fact she is rather pissed about the whole thing and annoying the Hawkmoth gang so badly they keep knocking her out with tranquilizers. lol
(Slow Burn Detective AU!) Marinette is used to working alone on the streets of Paris as she strives to take down the Hawkmoth gang. When the thief Chat Noir comes crashing into her life things are bound to get magical, especially when co-detective Adrien returns to Paris and seems to want to be her new partner. Will their fated partnership end in a capture or a kiss?
Hacking Clues
They arrived at a nondescript apartment complex ten minutes early with some doughnuts in hand. Following Marinette into the building, Adrien watched normal people wander off to work or haul laundry up flights of stairs. On the third floor Marinette knocked at the first door and waited, tapping her foot since they could hear two people arguing inside about who should answer the door.
After two minutes, Marinette yelled, "I have doughnuts!" and suddenly there was the sound of pounding feet.
The door was yanked inwards, revealing a half asleep Kim who grinned, "Hey there, sweet cheeks ohhh you brought handsome along! You two are the cutest delivery peeps, yet!"
Marinette shoved the box of doughnuts into Kim's chest and a hand into his face, forcing him back out of the way, "Go back to sleep after eating, Kim. You are sooo sleep deprived. Is Max up and dressed?"
"Aw, so you're the reason I couldn't talk him out of his clothes? I think my boyfriend loves work more than me…" Kim whined as he shut the door.
"I'm serious, Kim. Food, then sleep. I need Max undistracted for probably two hours. Then you two can go back to whatever else you were doing."
"Fine, fine…" Kim grouched, pulling a chocolate doughnut out of the box. "Oh good, you got his favorite. Tell him I'll bring him something to drink in a minute."
Marinette nodded taking the doughnut, still in its sleeve, out of Kim's hand, "Might want to grab a plate too, you know how he is about crumbs near his equipment."
Kim rolled his eyes and turned towards the kitchen while Marinette led a snickering Adrien to another room.
"What's so funny?" Marinette asked since nothing that had happened so far had been funny to her. Matter of fact, it was all fairly normal.
"You're like the mom of the group: always feeding people and making sure they're sleeping enough without ever doing the same for yourself. It's cute is all," Adrien snickered, keeping his voice low.
Marinette turned her nose up at him, "Do as I say, not as I do, Adrien. Besides, you have no room to talk, so hush!"
Not giving him the chance to retort, Marinette knocked on the door before them calling out a greeting as she opened it.
"You're early, Marinette," Max called, not even looking up from his massive three-screen set-up.
One screen had a video, or maybe a game playing, while the other side had scrolling numbers and code like something out of the matrix. The center screen looked a bit more normal, although there seemed to be code everywhere on it, too.
"I wanted to make sure you guys had something to eat," Marinette confided, elbowing Adrien in the side when he chuckled. "I know Kim has been working double shifts, and you probably haven't slept since I asked for this favor."
"You would be approximately correct. However, I don't think I want… ohhh, is that a chocolate doughnut?" Max cooed as Marinette nearly shoved it in his face.
He took it from her hand, pushing back so he didn't get any crumbs near his computer's equipment. Kim came in handing Max a plate, napkin, and a tumbler with a lid so it couldn't spill. "Come to bed when you're done. Wwe can catch a little sleep before my night shift starts."
"I will. Did you eat the rest of the doughnuts?" Max demanded.
"No, I didn't, you dork. Marinette would skin me alive if I tried that," Kim answered with a huff, then pressed a kiss to his cheek.
Max grinned sappily after him until Marinette cleared her throat making him snap back into business mode. His business face was slightly ruined by the smudge of chocolate on his cheek from the doughnut he'd swiftly scarfed down.
"Right…" Max hummed. "So, I'm not going to bore you with all of the stuff I had to go through to do this. And I haven't sent out a signal, yet. But I'm ready to whenever you want me to."
"We're ready to move as soon as you hit it," Marinette answered while Adrien snuck closer to peer over her shoulder.
Max shrugged, tapping a few keys to drop the game off the one screen to reveal a map of Paris. Another few keystrokes and a dot popped up on the map while words scrolled across the middle screen. "Remind me again why I've hacked into one of the most secure networks Paris has, to find..." Max blinked at the screen while shoving his glasses up, "a yellow car?"
Marinette smiled at him sweetly, "Just calling in one of my IOUs, Max. Believe me, you don't want really want to be involved more than this."
Max huffed in disbelief, "We will need to remain in contact so I can guide you two to the location. The car is stationary right this second, but it could move. Will you need assistance?"
"Nah, I've got all the help I need," Marinette said, jerking her thumb at Adrien who had been following Max's every movement with avid interest.
Max's nose crinkled, but he didn't say anything and turned back to the screen. The map zoomed in on the dot until it showed an open lot in a rougher downtown area. A few keystrokes later and they had a live feed of the place. There were a few other broken down cars in the lot, as well as a few tarped areas. The limo was covered with a long tarp-like sheet and had a few haphazard pieces of junk laid on top of it so that it looked like it had been there for a while.
"I'm assuming the vehicle you are looking for is under the tarps," Max hummed as he zoomed out a bit to get a better look at the area.
"Yeah," Marinette muttered, eyeing the buildings around the lot. "That's in Dragon territory, isn't it?"
Max zoomed out a touch more, shoving his glasses up as he peered at the buildings, "I believe so... Actually, no, it's not any longer. With all the fights they've been picking lately, they lost this space a week or so ago, since it is technically on their outskirts. It's a dead zone right now, or barrier between territories. I heard about your encounter with them the other night, by the way. You might want some more back-up after all."
Marinette shook her head, "I can't call people in without being able to have proof of the… car's location. Since it's covered, I can't exactly call it in while saying I found it by accident on Google Maps or something."
Adrien snorted, "You've done that before, haven't you?"
Marinette rolled her eyes, "It's a good excuse! I could even use it for 'finding' people until Google started blurring faces. Once we get there and have verification, I'll call it in for real."
Max crossed his arms, looking like he didn't believe her, "I will have eyes on you the whole time. If trouble crops up, I will call Gram on you."
"Tattle tale," Marinette mocked, grabbing Adrien's hand after snapping a picture of the address on the screen, and ignoring Max as he let out a groaning whine.
"Just don't get in too much trouble. Or injured. Otherwise you know Gram will put me on restriction."
"I'm just scouting, Max. No big deal," Marinette scoffed, pulling Adrien towards the door. It was a little difficult since Adrien seemed to be enjoying the banter between the two of them.
"Didn't you get shot the last time you were 'just scouting'?" Max asked, turning his chair while following them with his eyes.
"It was a graze, and bite me. Adrien, move, dammit! We have work to do!" Marinette huffed, yanking him forwards before shoving him out the door.
"I've got her back, Max. Try not to worry too much," Adrien called over his shoulder.
"Yes, well, you are taller, so any bullets will hit you first, I suppose. Remember to duck!" Max replied drily as Adrien relented to Marinette's insistent shoving, allowing her to push him out of the apartment.
"I think Max is warming up to me," Adrien hummed as they walked down the stairs and caught a cab.
"He wouldn't have talked to you if he wasn't. I think Nino was right, you really can charm a block of ice," Marinette laughed making Adrien pout a bit.
The ride was uneventful and they chatted about aimless things until they reached the street Marinette had directed the cabbie to. The cabbie looked around the area and glanced back at the two of them, "You guys sure you want to be let out here? This isn't the best part of town."
"We know," Marinette answered, opening her door at the same time Adrien did. "Thank you for your concern but we have some stuff to take care of out here."
The cabbie did look concerned even as he accepted the money she handed him, "You want me to hang around? I got some mace, so no one ought to bother with me."
"That's sweet but we won't be coming back over this way. Thank you anyways."
"Alright, then," The cabbie relented. "You kids don't look the type to be hanging around in places like this. There's always a way out and if you need help call this card, ok?"
He rummaged around his wallet for a second then pulled a card out to hand to Marinette. Marinette took the card stoically and nodded her thanks before quickly walking over to Adrien.
"What did he give you?" Adrien asked as he followed her down the street before they passed into an alleyway.
"He gave me a help hotline card and a personal card. Apparently he thought we were teens on our way to do or get drugs or something," Marinette answered with a bit of a chuckle. "I quite liked him. I'll have to call for him specifically again one day."
Adrien snorted as they picked up the pace, both going quiet as they neared their destination. Eventually they arrived outside a tall fence and Adrien could see the tarp-covered limo through the links. Marinette moved towards the gate as Adrien glanced around, noting that the street was oddly empty. Unfortunately, the area gave off the feelings of a trap or ambush, making him wary.
"Hey, Marinette?" Adrien called softly, the wariness in his tone enough to make her pause at the slightly-ajar, though chained, gate.
"There are no people, I know. I've got to have visible proof before calling this in with Jackady. Yeah, Max we're good... Shut your stuff down so you don't get back traced or something crazy... Thanks again," Marinette hummed, the latter half of the conversation clearly not intended for Adrien.
Sliding under the chain and between the slightly-ajar gate, Marinette took careful first steps into the courtyard area. Her shoulders were loose but Adrien could see her hands were clenched just inside her sleeves. Marinette was ready for a fight if one came her way, and Adrien just had to smile as he followed swiftly in case someone really did try to jump her. Nothing happened as they made it to the car and he watched, amused as Marinette relaxed a fraction before hauling her hair up into a tight bun, then pulled Latex gloves out of her pockets. Tossing a pair to Adrien, she slid hers on and lifted the tarp closest to the front. The mayor's symbol was visible on the front and she let the tarp fall again with a sigh, "This is it."
Hauling out her phone, Marinette tapped something out on the screen, then waited for a minute before it dinged twice in rapid succession, "He said to get in, see if we can find anything of use, and step back when the others show up. It's going to take a bit for anyone to get here so we can probably check the entire inside and outside before anyone else arrives. Try not to shed on anything or touch anything that looks important. Take pictures but don't collect anything." Marinette commanded "Do you want the inside first or the outside?"
"Outside," Adrien replied already looking at the wheels.
They went to work, swiftly searching the inside and the outside for any sort of clue of what happened to Chloe. They finished their quick searches, switched areas, and once they finished a second time they exited the courtyard to wait for the rest of the force to show.
"Impressions?" Marinette queried.
Adrien frowned, "Chloe didn't put up a fight. She didn't panic or throw a tantrum since her stuff is on the seat neatly and not scattered. The only thing I found odd was the uncapped lipstick. She would never leave something uncapped for fear of it making a mess. At least there isn't any blood, so we know she wasn't injured in the car or during the initial kidnapping."
Marinette nodded, "I saw that too. There was a glass of something back there, but whoever took Chloe took the glass too. Makes me think she was drugged via drink, or possibly gassed since the car has an odd chemical odor."
"Speaking of odors, the tires have a fishy smell to them. Also I saw crushed shells and rock maybe in the treads," Adrien stated.
"I didn't notice a smell but I did see the shells. It looks almost like they drove on an unpaved road or something. I'll have to think on that. As for the fish odor, they could have taken Chloe around the docks, or maybe they just drove through and picked up the smell," Marinette sighed as she heard the piercing wail of a siren getting closer. "Oh great… I have a feeling we are going to be dealing with an idiot soon. Most officers know better than to ride to a potential recovery scene with the sirens on."
They didn't have much longer to wait as a cop car swung around the corner and screeched to a stop just in front of them. The siren was blaringly loud and after a long, painful moment it cut to silence, leaving an ominous echo in its wake. Adrien heard Marinette groan and he realized why as the door blasted open.
"What in the HELL are you two doing here?!" Roger snarled, slamming the door shut behind him.
Marinette eyed Roger curiously, noting there were no other people in the car with him, "That is an excellent question, Roger. We followed a lead and found the car the Mayor's daughter was in. I know that Jackady didn't send for you since he stated that he was sending Damocles…"
There was a distinct questioning tone to her voice that Roger ignored, "That old owl is useless! I got here first and I can process this all on my own! What kind of… wait… who told you that the limo was here?!"
"No one told us, Roger. And you were not here first. Technically Adrien and I were here first, so if anyone processes the limo, it'll be us," Marinette snapped, her eyes daring him to say something more. "And you haven't answered me, yet. How did you know to come here?"
Roger's face turned a mottled color and Adrien was fairly surprised to not see steam coming out of his ears. Instead, Roger stomped closer, towering over Marinette in a way that had a growl buzzing in his chest.
"I did the legwork and found my way here. I don't know what trick you guys pulled but you're not even part of this investigation. So get the hell out of my way and let me do my job!" Roger snarled, reaching to shove Marinette out of his way since they were standing in front of the gate.
Adrien caught his arm before he could touch Marinette and squeezed to the point of being just shy of shattering Roger's wrist. Roger's face went from plum to pale in a millisecond and he gasped as Adrien pushed him back away from Marinette. What Roger had just tried to pull was inappropriate, and since Marinette had little tolerance for his antics it was downright stupid. She had a look in her eye that told him Roger would have been on the ground unconscious in the next moment had he not interfered. As funny as that would have been, it probably would have been bad to have an unconscious detective at the scene, especially since the area wasn't a very good one. In fact, it still felt like they were about to be ambushed at any moment.
"If you touch her, I'll break your hand and you can spend the day in the emergency room," Adrien said, his voice quite friendly and pleasant. Only Marinette could hear the dangerous and downright pissed undertone. "Now, we're all adults here and since we got here first, I think you should do the right thing and step back and wait for the other officers to show."
Adrien shoved Roger away and he stumbled back, almost to the hood of his car, clutching at his wrist with a wince, "If she's promised you fame for finding Chloe, don't believe her. All Marinette will lead you to is ruin."
There wasn't enough space between Roger and Adrien and Marinette saw how his shoulders tensed like he was going to rip Roger's head off. Worried, Marinette grabbed the back of Adrien's shirt to prevent him from pouncing on Roger and jerked on it sharply to remind him of where they were, "Chloe is Adrien's friend Roger. And I neither need, nor want fame for finding her. Damocles is on his way and it's his job to both process this, and hopefully find Chloe soon. Your job is to stay out of the way and not contaminate the scene."
"This is Dragon territory, Marinette. They're the ones that probably took her and are holding her hostage! They've started several skirmishes with other gangs and have probably moved to kidnapping! I can find Chloe, just let me start processing the damn car!" Roger snapped, sounding almost desperate.
"Actually, the Dragons lost this part of the territory over a week ago. If they took Chloe, they never would've stored the car here. Matter of fact, it's odd that the car is even whole. Usually by now, the car would've been missing at least its wheels…" Marinette murmured looking around the area with a critical eye.
Something was off about this whole thing. If Max hadn't managed to track the limo, Roger would've arrived first. At best he would've found everything Marinette and Adrien had found, which essentially boiled down to nothing. At worst he would have simply contaminated the scene. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to figure out what was bothering her because another car pulled up and Damocles stepped out with a case in hand. Clara got out of the back, and to Marinette's shock Jackady got out of the driver's side. At this point, Roger was sulking and huffing since he realized that there was no way he was getting past Marinette.
"Marinette, Adrien, excellent work. What are you doing here, Roger?" Jackady asked.
Roger crossed his arms, wincing when he put a little too much pressure on his wrist, "I found the limo, same as them!"
Jackady raised an eyebrow, "Did you? Why didn't you call it in to me?"
Roger winced again, then unfolded his arms to point at Marinette and Adrien while Damocles cut the gate all the way open with some bolt cutters, "These two wouldn't let me in to confirm! They kept telling me to wait for backup."
"I see," Jackady murmured. "You'll have to enlighten me later as to how you found this place. Until then, you may help Damocles and Clara with clearing the vehicle. I need to alert the Mayor's people we found the limo."
Roger frowned and opened his mouth, possibly to argue. But then, with a bit of a grimace, he walked over to where Damocles was uncovering the car with Clara's help.
Jackady watched him go, then turned to Marinette and Adrien, "So?"
Adrien shook his head, "The brief search we did wasn't very enlightening. There are shell rock bits in the tires and Marinette thinks Chloe might have been drugged or gassed or something because there are no signs of a struggle."
Suddenly Marinette gasped, smacking her hands together, "Adrien, does Chloe open her own doors?"
"Uh, no...?" Adrien answered, sounding confused. Jackady looked just as lost.
"Her chauffeur was found unconscious in a closet… who opened the door for Chloe when she went to get in the limo? It would have to be someone she trusted, right? Otherwise she would have caused a scene!" Marinette declared keeping her voice low. "There are cameras outside where the ball took place. We should be able to determine the last person to see her! Has anyone checked those cameras yet?"
Jackady frowned, "We assumed that she got in the limo herself and was abducted in the drive. I don't think anyone has checked the cameras, or if they did no one said anything about them. I'll make some calls and get them on it. Why doesn't anyone else come up with ideas like yours, Marinette?"
Marinette shook her head even though she was blushing slightly, "It only just now hit me. I didn't think of the cameras or anything while we were doing the initial rundown. Someone should have, though. I mean, cameras are everywhere these days."
With a bit of a shrug, Jackady pulled out his phone, "Hopefully, between the limo recovery and the cameras we'll get a lead on Chloe. Keep in contact, Marinette. And if you want, you can take the car we came in. I would like to ask Roger a few more questions, and this way he won't be able to avoid me."
Taking the keys Jackady offered, Marinette grinned, "I'll drop it off at my precinct since that's where Roger will have to take you. Adrien and I will try to figure out where the crushed shells came from. Not too many unpaved roads left in Paris."
Jackady gave them an absent minded wave, already dialing the phone and putting it to his ear. Adrien followed Marinette to the car. After making sure no one had left their personal effects inside, they took off for the precinct. In the end, the two of them got lunch on the way back and unfortunately there were no further 'ah-ha' moments from Marinette or Adrien. The cameras outside the ball were a bust since, for some reason, they weren't even turned on most of the time. The Mayor's people had been happy they had discovered the limo, but apparently there had been several awkward questions as to how it was done and Jackady was in a mood over the whole ordeal. With a grouchy hiss, Marinette collapsed to her couch as Adrien circled another spot on the map.
"Still nothing?" Adrien asked, his voice tight.
"Every time I think we have a lead, it gets taken out by the most absurd things! We look at the cameras, they aren't turned on. We find the limo, all we get for evidence are some stupid crushed shells which match how many spots so far?!" Marinette demanded.
"Twenty-three," Adrien griped. "Although, six of the areas with the shells would be too small for a car to drive on. So honestly, probably closer to seventeen, give or take. Plus other areas we might not even be looking at."
Marinette groaned looking at the map that Adrien had been circling on. They had been at this for hours since Jackady had reported back about the cameras and lack of any useful information from the car. They had looked for fingerprints, especially on the door handles or steering wheel, but so far they hadn't managed to pull anything useful there either. No one thought the shells were important, which was exactly why Marinette and Adrien were running the information down in the first place. It was starting to get uncomfortably past dinnertime and Adrien was contemplating a way to ask Marinette out to eat when her front door swung open.
"Marinette?! What kind of case are you working on right now?!" Alya shouted, slamming the door and hurtling into the living room.
The instant she hit the living room, Alya gaped at the map and then cursed, "Chloe's actually missing and you didn't tell me?!"
Marinette was on her feet in a heartbeat, her face draining of color, "Alya… how do you know that?"
Not saying a word, Alya held out a copied piece of paper from the mayor of Paris stating an offered reward $50,000 for anyone who could return his daughter to him safe, unharmed, and alive. It was stamped with the Mayor's seal and looked extremely official.
"Oh no… oh no… he didn't…" Marinette whispered her distress palpable. "Damage control, Alya… what…?"
Alya shook her head, holding up a hand before Marinette could even finish, "It's too late. It's already been confirmed by two other sources, including the mayor himself. My source, or your confirmation won't matter. It's going to hit the ten o'clock news."
Marinette swore and glanced at the clock only to swear again. They had two hours before trouble literally hit the fan, "A reward that high hasn't been offered in… I don't even know how many years. I can't believe he did this without consulting Jackady first! Adrien, call Jackady and warn him what's about to happen and send him a picture. We can't call a news ban without the Mayor's permission, and seeing as he did this behind our backs we're not going to get it. Alya, thank you so much for the warning. If it's ok with Jackady, I'll tell you what little info we have but at this point it's honestly not much. I've got a few calls to make."
"Letting your Whisperers know?" Alya asked.
Marinette nodded with a grimace, "This kind of news is going to make people go a little nuts, which is exactly what we were trying to avoid in the first place. Now everyone is going to be looking for Chloe, which will mean red herrings and false sightings and idiots trying to collect the money on their drunken friend's blonde mom." Alya snorted and Marinette huffed, "What, it's happened before on another case, ok? Either way, sit down and relax. It's going to be a bit of a wait, unfortunately."
For the next 20 minutes, Marinette and Adrien did as much damage control as they could, and with Jackady's permission Marinette filled Alya in on what they knew about Chloe's kidnapping. Alya left soon after to turn in her report to her boss and Marinette had to answer a few more calls from Whisperers. Hanging up from a talk with Gram, Marinette dropped to her couch again with an annoyed whine slipping past her lips. Adrien fell into place next to her rubbing at his temples.
"So… what do we do?" Adrien finally asked after several beats of silence passed between them.
"We can't do anything until tomorrow," Marinette fumed. "Once the news goes out that Chloe's missing, every low life and get rich quick idiot will be pacing the streets. If we start looking right now we'll definitely get caught up in the middle of it and I have no desire to be stabbed or shot at tonight."
Adrien didn't argue with her but Marinette could see the worried, yet determined, look in his eyes. "I'm… I'm actually a little worried for her, Marinette. I was hoping this was a standard 'snatch, ransom, and return' thing, but it's blowing up right in our faces."
"It's only been two days, Adrien. We'll bring her home. Unfortunately, our illustrious mayor has just made it harder on us, but we will persevere, ok?" Marinette queried turning towards him and holding out her arms in invitation.
Adrien took the invite and ducked into her warm embrace, wondering just how long anyone had cared to hug him simply because he needed it. Thinking back made him realize it had been far too long and he could feel the stress and worry slowly melting away from him as he wrapped Marinette up in his arms to hold her close. A good solid moment of peace passed between them and when they finally pulled apart they decided in unison that dinner was a good idea. Dining at a small café, they split up the shell sites they had and decided to start the search the next day. Marinette wasn't real thrilled about splitting up, but Adrien promised to have his phone on him at all times since they needed to find their next breakthrough quickly. They walked slowly back to their flats and Adrien dropped off Marinette at her door since Plagg was pressing his claws into Adrien's chest, which meant he needed to talk to him. Somehow, Adrien had a feeling he was going to be in for a long night.
